make the play-off's that is. I think we can but it's going to mean Pards biting the bullet on a few issues. Firstly, the right back berth. Halford is rubbish and how Pards can see him as a better option than Moo2 is beyond me. Okay, Moo2 isn't the greatest defender in the world but he's a better defender than Halford PLUS he has the benefit of pace. This benefit's us greatly when going forward and if it breaks down he has the athleticism to get back. I'd have Thatcher ahead of Youga at the moment and 'an other' alongside Paddy at centre half.
Up front I'd go back to the tried and tested Iwelumo and Varney. Not that Lita has done anything wrong, I thought he did okay on Saturday, but Chris and Luke are the closest we have to a partnership. Gray is so out of form it's untrue. Us and Burnley combined it's about 20 games without a goal.
The real problem is midfield. I don't really think much of any of them. Holland and ZZ at least try but Holland is 33 and can't get up and down whilst ZZ is plain knackered and needs a rest. Ambrose scores goals but does little for most of the game whilst Thomas is so predictable it's untrue, unwilling to take the full back on and get to the by-line he is continually shown inside and resorts to floating hopeless balls into the box which are easy to defend. He can't cross like the one Thatcher whipped in on Saturday. If he did then our strikers might be willing to gamble more on getting in there to get on the end of one. Sam is an enigma and frequently injured whilst it looks as if Cook and Sinclair are either not fit or not good enough even for Pards. Samedo is too defensive minded to ever be in the same team as Holland unless at right back. Somewhere from this mess Pards has to find the right combination and he's got four day's to do it in. I'm going for Thomas, Holland, Ambrose, Cook and then praying it'll work. Otherwise Varney on the right with Lita alongside Iwelumo.
Before someone says 'bring in the kids', it's too late. If they'd had a couple of appearances off the bench already then maybe but to throw in someone like Wagstaff now would be counterproductive in our current situation and won't help him or us. In my opinion by not bringing them into the team over the course of the season occassionally Pards has probably affected the ability to play them next season and so putting a spanner in the works of the two-year plan. If we don't go up this season we should at least have the majority (eight?) of the first eleven who are mainly going to do it for us next season and at the moment I don't see that.
I'm glad I've got that off my chest .........
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Comments
i will always support them because of the shirt they wear even if some of them are not fit to wear it however with Halford it was only in the latter stages of the game at Ipswich that he looked weak and the amount of abuse he got for 1 missed place pass was ridiculous.
Moots is better going forward agreed but he is still dodgy defensivly
For an attack minded combination maybe
Weaver
Halford Sodje MCcarthy Thatcher
Varney ZZ Holland Ambrose
Lita Gray
Subs Elliott Semedo Iwelumo Sinclair Thomas
Weaver
Yassin McCarthy Bougherra Thatcher
Ambrose Holland ZZ Thomas
Iwelumo Varney
Weaver
Yassin McCarthy Bougherra Thatcher
Ambrose Holland ZZ Thomas
Iwelumo Varney
Things change so quickly in this league. Goals and wins don't look like arriving at the moment, but if they do, then if we string a couple together, everyone will be thinking we will be favourites for the play-offs, all within a couple of weeks.
You can't predict anything in this league, Leicester winning 4-1 at West Brom for example.
Look how many times the lead has changed hands in the last few weeks. If I am not mistaken a lot on here were pulling their hamptons at how good WBA were and it was going to be WBA and one other - that has definitely not going to happen to many of their players got their eye on wembley.
Stoke IMO are punching above their weight as are Bristol City - good teams don't get me wrong but they play as teams something we have not been doing.
Individually we have the players - I mean Andy Gray got voted by his peers at 2nd best player in the Championship and half of the posts on this thread want Iwelumo in, someone who has been slagged as the worst player they have ever seen by some, instead of him.
Personally I think we'll do it I still have faith
Natural inclination for me is we won't do it as we still don't have anything like a settled side or gameplan. Then I look at the table and see we're only a point away, so who knows?
Something similar happened with PNE fans at Blackpool, instead they managed to get it sneaked in on the team coach, and then the kit man brought it across to them hidden in a kit bag
Can you imagine our lot smuggling it in for you??
What worries me about going up this year, especially through the play-offs, is what will happen to us in the prem. Look at Derby this year, I don't think I could go through a season that they've just had. I can take relegation, but relegation with a fight not being the leagues whipping boys.
There's too much work needed to be done on the team to have any hope of surviving the prem, but the play-offs gives you less time in the summer then everyone else to buy players. At the moment next season in the Premiership really doesn't appeal to me.
But beggers and choosers come to mind
I don't think we have the sheer guts and desire despite what Pardew says although on a good day we definitely have the ability.
"Dear Friend,
Thanks for taking the time to read my e-mail : )
My name is Rony. I'm a girl from remote China. My family
are football of ZZ and England. In England, we admire your team
very much. We like red color. It is strong and full of passion.
Your team is one of the best team in England. Though we are in
second league and played not very well in these days, our fans
don't lose your heart. We believe your team will come back to
Piemire League in the near future. We trust your team very much.
Please don't blame to ZZ. He has been played many games, not
he is tired, so i think he needs more time to have a rest. Though
he is very well, he also needs rest : ) In fact I don't think
it is a good idea to let he play football between England and
Chinese. I think he should stay in your team. This is a good
choise. I also hope our team could have a good luck. And then we
can go farther and farther. Walk on Charlton. Just try you do.
Please don't give up, our fans will go on support you forever.
And our Chinese will be thinking of u and wishing you the best
of everything~:)"
C'mon all you Charlton players reading this. Do it for Rony.
Pah, think we have about a 20% chance of success now but never say never, it's more in hope now rather than thinking we'll actually do it.
i like this team Imtpm , SHIT OR BUST , all guns blazing rather than falling away as we are currently....
i think west brom is a MUST WIN GAME so it can kick start something and blow away the recent crap results........
e-i-e-i-e-i-o
Blimey, Ooohaaah .... I've been usurped from my position as the 'rocks for brains' eternal optimist. ;o)
Now you've got me looking forward to the West Brom game ........
i actually don't think we're as bad as our position just underperforming so it's the players and pardews management team to blame but i am stating the obvious here!
can't ask anymore of the board , they've backed pardew more than he could have hoped for imo